Downtown in Dayton in Montgomery County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 / And The Rivers Flowed Through The City

The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

1. The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 Marker

Inscription.

The Great Dayton Flood of 1913, also, And The Rivers Flowed Through The City. . The Great Dayton Flood of 1913. On Sunday, March 23, 1913, three storm systems met over western Ohio and, over the next four days, poured nine to eleven inches of rain over the Miami Valley. Falling on near-frozen and saturated ground, this rain ran directly into the Great Miami, Stillwater, and Mad Rivers, and the Wolf Creek, then rushed into downtown Dayton, where all these streams converged within a three-quarter mile radius. Dayton had flooded periodically throughout its history, including a near record crest just 15 years earlier, but those floods did not prepare Daytonians for what was before them. The volume of water that flowed into Dayton during the 1913 flood totaled nearly four trillion gallons, an amount equal to the flow over Niagra [sic] Falls in a month., During the night Monday, the waters rose, exerting tremendous pressure on the levees. Tuesday morning, just east of here where the Mad and Miami Rivers converge, the levee broke, sending a wall of water into the downtown. At the same time, hundreds of curiosity seekers watching the flood at the Main Street bridge, just west of this site, saw water overtopping the levee there and fled down Main Street in a panic. They met the real danger at Third Street, where the deluge from the levee break forced them to flee into buildings along the street. Within minutes, three feet of water covered the downtown business district. Surrounding residential areas were coming under water as well, and the rain continued., And The Rivers Flowed Through The City. Thousands of people were trapped in the upper stories of homes and businesses, and many had to hack their way from the attic to the roof to escape the rising water. Panicked horses swam the city streets seeking higher ground. Fire, fed by ruptured gas lines, soon created an additional threat. A blaze broke out Tuesday night, but was extinguished by rain. On Wednesday night, however, when the rains had ended but the winds howled, a second fire roared through downtown, sending stranded flood victims scrambling across rooftops and fire escapes to avoid the flames. By Thursday morning, snow was falling, but the waters were receding and rescue boats were a common sight in the streets., Individual tales of tragedy were abundant. Crowds on the hill above McKinley Park watched a two-story house that had been lifted from its foundation float by with a man and a woman with a baby standing bewildered at the open front door. As the house approached the Dayton View Bridge, destined for annihilation, the man closed the door. Moments later the crowd heard two gunshots from inside the home. Stories of heroism were as prevalent as those of tragedy. W.G. Sloan was a left-handed pitcher with the Dayton Marcos of the Negro leagues. As the waters rose, he ran to a Dayton boat company and commandeered a flat-bottomed boat at gunpoint. In that boat over the next few days, Sloan rowed more than 300 people to safety.

The Great Dayton Flood of 1913
On Sunday, March 23, 1913, three storm systems met over western Ohio and, over the next four days, poured nine to eleven inches of rain over the Miami Valley. Falling on near-frozen and saturated ground, this rain ran directly into the Great Miami, Stillwater, and Mad Rivers, and the Wolf Creek, then rushed into downtown Dayton, where all these streams converged within a three-quarter mile radius. Dayton had flooded periodically throughout its history, including a near record crest just 15 years earlier, but those floods did not prepare Daytonians for what was before them. The volume of water that flowed into Dayton during the 1913 flood totaled nearly four trillion gallons, an amount equal to the flow over Niagra [sic] Falls in a month.

During the night Monday, the waters rose, exerting tremendous pressure on the levees. Tuesday morning, just east of here where the Mad and Miami Rivers converge, the levee broke, sending a wall of water into the downtown. At the same time, hundreds of curiosity seekers watching the flood at the Main Street bridge, just west of this site, saw water overtopping the levee there and fled down Main Street in a panic. They met the real danger at Third Street, where the deluge from the levee break forced them to flee into buildings along

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the street. Within minutes, three feet of water covered the downtown business district. Surrounding residential areas were coming under water as well, and the rain continued.

And The Rivers Flowed Through The City
Thousands of people were trapped in the upper stories of homes and businesses, and many had to hack their way from the attic to the roof to escape the rising water. Panicked horses swam the city streets seeking higher ground. Fire, fed by ruptured gas lines, soon created an additional threat. A blaze broke out Tuesday night, but was extinguished by rain. On Wednesday night, however, when the rains had ended but the winds howled, a second fire roared through downtown, sending stranded flood victims scrambling across rooftops and fire escapes to avoid the flames. By Thursday morning, snow was falling, but the waters were receding and rescue boats were a common sight in the streets.

Individual tales of tragedy were abundant. Crowds on the hill above McKinley Park watched a two-story house that had been lifted from its foundation float by with a man and a woman with a baby standing bewildered at the open front door. As the house approached the Dayton View Bridge, destined for annihilation, the man closed the door. Moments later the crowd heard two gunshots from inside the home. Stories of heroism were as prevalent as those of

And The Rivers Flowed Through The City Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

2. And The Rivers Flowed Through The City Marker

tragedy. W.G. Sloan was a left-handed pitcher with the Dayton Marcos of the Negro leagues. As the waters rose, he ran to a Dayton boat company and commandeered a flat-bottomed boat at gunpoint. In that boat over the next few days, Sloan rowed more than 300 people to safety.

Erected by Montgomery County, City of Dayton, Five Rivers MetroParks, Miami Conservancy District, et al.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Disasters • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is March 23, 1778.

Location. 39° 45.866′ N, 84° 11.424′ W. Marker is in Dayton, Ohio, in Montgomery County. It is in Downtown. Markers are on a concrete base along the Great Miami River at Van Cleve Park, part of RiverScape Metro Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 111 E Monument Avenue, Dayton OH 45402, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Newcom Tavern (here, next to this marker); Van Cleve Park (here, next to this marker); John Van Cleve (within shouting distance of this marker); Benjamin Van Cleve (within shouting distance of this marker); Before Silicon Valley There Was Dayton, Ohio (within shouting distance of this marker); 1905 Wright Flyer III

The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 / And The Rivers Flowed Through The City Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

3. The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 / And The Rivers Flowed Through The City Marker

Looking NNW across the Great Miami River.

(within shouting distance of this marker); The Birth of Aviation (within shouting distance of this marker); Charles F. Kettering (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dayton.

The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 Marker Photo image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

4. The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 Marker Photo

Panoramic view of downtown from the hill where the Dayton Art Institute now stands.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

5. The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 Marker Photo

Fourth Street looking east toward Main Street from the Arcade Building.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

6. The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 Marker Photo

At McLain and Eagle Streets, the incessant rain continued long after Dayton was under water.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

7. The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 Marker Photo

Notice the high water mark and snow on the rooftops on the Burns Ave. homes.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 6, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 7,673 times since then and 107 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on September 6, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.